The San Francisco 49ers simply cannot avoid the injury bug. After a brutal season in 2024, the 2025 season has started off the same way.
Entering Week 2, the 49ers will be playing without both Brock Purdy and George Kittle. Both players could also miss more time past this week.
Kittle for sure will be out past this week. He will miss at least the next four weeks due to a hamstring injury. Purdy, on the other hand, is dealing with toe and shoulder injuries that could keep him out between two and five weeks.
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Without Purdy and Kittle on the field, San Francisco is facing an uphill battle. Purdy, in particular, will be missed. Mac Jones will step in to start at quarterback in his place.
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With Purdy expected to miss a decent chunk of time due to his injuries, could the 49ers consider making a trade for a better starting option than Jones? How about a move for Atlanta Falcons veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins?
That is exactly what one NFL analyst has suggested.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has suggested a trade between San Francisco and the Falcons that would send Cousins to the 49ers in exchange for Bryce Huff and a conditional 2026 fifth-round draft pick.
Cousins would be a very intriguing addition for San Francisco. He would fit well into Kyle Shanahan’s system and has actually been rumored in the past to be a player the 49ers were interested in. Making the move for him now would make perfect sense.
Last season, Cousins was Atlanta’s starter for most of the year. He struggled with turnovers, but he had a few major bright moments as well. There is no question that he’s still capable of being an NFL starting quarterback.
Throughout the course of the 2024 campaign, the 37-year-old quarterback completed 66.9 percent of his pass attempts for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions. Obviously, the turnovers weren’t great, but there is plenty of reason to think that he can play at a higher level than that.
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If San Francisco wants to get aggressive to stay in playoff contention, a trade for Cousins would be wise. He would give the 49ers a much better chance to win football games than Jones can.
While it’s just an idea, it’s one worth keeping a close eye on, especially if Jones struggles this weekend in his first start for San Francisco against the New Orleans Saints.
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